The Skyscraper Methodology for Search engine marketing: A Newbie’s Information

Are you discovering it robust to get your content material rating on serps? Struggling to safe that one high-authority backlink regardless of your greatest outreach efforts? Anxious that you simply’re lacking out on beneficial visitors?

You are not alone. It’s straightforward to really feel like your well-crafted articles are buried beneath a mountain of on-line noise. You could possibly be writing bestsellers worthy of a Pulitzer, however folks would possibly nonetheless not discover and hyperlink to your content material. It simply isn’t that straightforward anymore.

However what should you may flip the script and make your content material stand head and shoulders above the remainder? What if the backlinks come on their very own on your content material? 

It is time to introduce you to the Skyscraper Approach, a confirmed Search engine marketing technique. With a bit of assist from Search engine marketing instruments, you may flip current content material into one thing greater, higher, and extra partaking that may naturally entice many backlinks.

The approach was created by Backlinko’s Brian Dean again in 2015 and gained immense reputation after the natural search visitors to his whole web site doubled in solely 14 days.

On this information, we’ll present you precisely find out how to use it to spice up your rankings and construct high-quality backlinks with out a massive price range or a model. There’s even a bit of guidelines and an inventory of instruments you should use to make it straightforward. And simply so you recognize, we refreshed this text by following the skyscraper approach.

Let’s dive in.

Authentic knowledge factors,  listicles, infographics, movies, user-generated content material, and any new and distinctive methods you may make the content material higher – a lot better.

The purpose right here is to ship the identical message as the unique weblog submit however with your personal twist. There are myriad methods to do that, which we’ll discover later.

However only a fast be aware: the Skyscraper Approach isn’t about copying or replicating current content material. As an alternative, it’s about bettering it from each angle, making your model so complete and beneficial that readers received’t must look anyplace else as soon as they discover your article. The purpose is to create the definitive useful resource on the subject.

When you’re performed creating the improved content material, attain out to the best folks, aka the websites which have linked to the high-ranking content material.

Because the web site’s already linked to related content material, they’re clearly within the subject and have already got a longtime viewers base for such blogs. This implies all you must do is get your weblog on their radar, and lo and behold, you’ve landed a promising hyperlink alternative. 

Extra possible than not, Google has already ranked the present useful resource effectively if it was so successful. It intuitively follows then that should you create one thing even higher, you may topple over the unique piece. You possibly can simply entice extra visitors and outrank the earlier weblog submit – particularly should you win over these high-quality hyperlinks. You continue to come out on high by placing in simply half the trouble. Seems like a reasonably candy deal.

Brian Dean, the creator of the Skyscraper Approach, used this technique to extend natural visitors to one among his posts on Backlinko by 110% in simply 14 days.

• Content material: He created an in-depth information on “Google’s 200 Rating Components”
• Strategy: Recognized a preferred however outdated submit, created a extra complete model, and reached out to websites linking to the unique
• Consequence: 110% enhance in natural visitors, with the submit rating #1 for “Google rating components.”

This submit is refreshed repeatedly, the newest being in September 2024. It’s nonetheless the #1 end result for the key phrase “Google rating issue,” together with 150+ key phrases within the high 3 place, bringing in 8,000+ month-to-month visitors and 17,600+ backlinks. 

G2

G2’s content material and offsite Search engine marketing staff use the tactic to gas their fast visitors development within the B2B software program overview house.

Content material: Refreshed and expanded weblog posts, complete software program class insights

Strategy: Recognized and up to date outdated weblog posts, turning them into extra complete, present assets concentrating on top-ranking content material in extremely aggressive software program classes. Supplied extra in-depth insights than their opponents

Consequence: Contributed considerably to G2’s development from zero to over 1,000,000 month-to-month guests inside a yr.

The skyscraper technique remains to be a part of G2’s link-building technique and helps it constantly acquire a whole lot of high quality backlinks from extremely authoritative websites. 

How one can execute the Skyscraper technique

Are you able to strive the approach out for your self? Right here’s a brief guidelines that can assist you alongside the best way! Let this be your holy grail for executing the Skyscraper Approach. 

1. Analysis and discover alternatives

To begin with the Skyscraper Approach, you first must do your analysis. Don’t blindly select a weblog just because it’s doing effectively. That clearly received’t add any worth to you or your organization. As an alternative, prohibit your analysis to related matters that you simply wish to cowl.

• Begin by defining the key phrases and matters related to your area of interest and viewers. Take into consideration what matters your audience is trying to find, primarily key phrase analysis.
• Use instruments like Google Key phrase Planner, Ahrefs, Moz, or Ubersuggest to establish high-traffic key phrases. These instruments will make it easier to uncover what persons are trying to find and what opponents are rating for.

For instance, G2 needs to achieve out to Search engine marketing professionals and encourage them to discover Search engine marketing instruments out there of their market. Concentrating on Search engine marketing-related key phrases, akin to “Skyscraper Approach” or “Search engine marketing instruments,” is sensible to draw this viewers and supply worth associated to their work.

To ensure, concentrating on the KW is helpful, you should use key phrase analysis instruments like Ahrefs and Semrush.

2. Analyze current top-ranking content material

Uncover top-ranking revolutionary content material primarily based in your goal key phrases. You possibly can simply search instantly on Google to see what ranks on the primary web page for these key phrases. 

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the top-ranking content material. Evaluate what makes the present content material profitable: sturdy knowledge, construction, or engagement. Search for gaps within the info, outdated statistics, or lacking multimedia components.

Ask your self: How will you make your content material extra complete, partaking, or beneficial than what’s already on the market?

Listed below are some methods to do it.

• Use the Aggressive Evaluation function in Ahrefs to do a competitor evaluation on a scale. Add your current content material URL and the URLs of the top-ranking pages. You may get an inventory of key phrases for which the top-ranking content material ranks, however you do not. 

• Use the Website Explorer function on Ahrefs to investigate every of the competitor’s content material. Right here, you may see the key phrases the competing article is rating for. Use these queries to grasp the search intent and look to fulfill them in your article. 

• Analyze the backlinks and their anchors to see what knowledge factors or info they’re linking again to. This provides you an concept of what you may add to your content material to draw these hyperlinks. 

2. Create higher content material

You’ve gotten the unique content material in entrance of you. How are you going to enhance it? You possibly can’t simply copy-paste it, throw some fancy jargon in there, and assume your work is completed. As an alternative, ample methods exist to enhance the content material into a chunk that genuinely excites the viewers.

Listed below are just a few of them:

Use the content material evaluation you probably did within the earlier step to enhance your content material. Deal with including worth in these key areas:

• Deal with gaps: Fill in any gaps the unique content material left. Did it overlook new tendencies or methods? If that’s the case, incorporate them into your model to make your content material extra beneficial.
• Add visuals: Improve your content material with visible storytelling. Add infographics, charts, or movies that make the data simpler to digest. Guarantee your visuals are related and add readability to your factors.
• Add knowledge factors: Strengthen your arguments by incorporating unique knowledge factors, up to date statistics, and research-backed insights. This provides credibility and makes the content material extra partaking for readers.
• Develop on depth: Flip the content material right into a holistic information, making it longer and extra complete. Add contemporary, up to date statistics, real-life examples, and actionable insights. 

You need to use instruments like Clearscope to search out gaps, grade your content material, assess how effectively it covers related key phrases, and grade its total Search engine marketing efficiency. 

For instance, whereas engaged on this text, I seen that current content material on the Skyscraper Approach lacked info on superior instruments and techniques, akin to utilizing AI instruments for content material evaluation or influencer outreach for link-building. I added a piece on superior Skyscraper Strategies to deal with this hole, highlighting new approaches no different article consists of.

3. Listing down doable distribution companions

Though you’re writing a weblog that’s certain to be successful, that doesn’t assure that every one the folks you contact will publish it. You want an inventory of potential blogs, manufacturers, and influencers fascinated with your content material to achieve out to.

Brian Dean had an outreach success price of 11%. This won’t sound like rather a lot, but it surely made an awesome impression. How so? Do not forget that it isn’t the amount that issues; it’s the standard. An 11% success price can deliver wonderful outcomes in case your whole checklist consists of high-quality hyperlinks. A great way to start out the checklist is to put in writing down the blogs you already know of. Then, soar on-line to seek for related blogs with an overlapping viewers. This is the way you do it. 

• Use the Hyperlink Intersect function underneath Competitor Evaluation on Ahrefs to search out the checklist of referring domains linking to the top-ranking content material that you do not have. These are your potential targets.

• You too can take a look at the competitor content material’s backlink profile and export the checklist of websites linking to it utilizing Website Explorer on Ahrefs.

  

The checklist often consists of spam and irrelevant websites. Clear it as much as embrace solely high-authority websites with increased area scores and related content material.

Discover the related particular person to achieve out to for these domains. They would be the author, editor, web site proprietor, or somebody from the Search engine marketing or web site administration groups. You need to use instruments like Hunter.io to search out their e mail addresses or join with them on LinkedIn. Maintain this checklist prepared. 

4. Promote the brand new and improved content material

Displaying social proof is a necessity now earlier than you may attain out to any websites or manufacturers. You need to first create a buzz along with your viewers to ascertain such proof. So get in your social media channels and promote your piece.

• Create social copies: Put together about 20 snippets from the content material to share on social media, together with variations of your headline, key quotes, statistics, or compelling takeaways. Tailor these snippets to completely different platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn, and so forth.) for max attain. 
• Use visuals: Incorporate your content material’s eye-catching photographs, infographics, or quick movies to make the posts extra partaking and encourage shares.
• Tag influencers: Point out or tag related influencers or trade consultants in your posts to extend visibility and encourage engagement.
• Activate Your Community: Ask your staff {and professional} community to assist amplify the content material. Their shares and engagement can assist construct preliminary momentum and enhance the attain of your submit.

As soon as your content material begins gaining traction, it turns into extra enticing to exterior web sites and companions, who’re likelier to hyperlink to it.

5. Share with the best folks

At this level, your enhanced content material could have gained some momentum, so it’s lastly time to share it. Right here, you should use the checklist of doable distribution companions from step two of the guidelines.

Right here’s find out how to do an efficient outreach marketing campaign:

• Personalize your outreach: Whereas you might have a template, all the time personalize every e mail to display real curiosity. Point out particular factors about their web site, and clarify why your content material will resonate with their viewers.
• Spotlight mutual advantages: Clearly talk what you are asking for and the way sharing your content material will profit them and their followers. Make it compelling, whether or not it’s filling gaps in current info or offering extra depth.
• Place your content material: Allow them to the distinctive promoting level of your content material over the piece they already hyperlink to.
• Make it straightforward: Connect a direct hyperlink or copy of the content material to allow them to simply overview it with out leaping by means of hoops.

6. Work arduous to remain related

Any content material is just helpful if persons are fascinated with studying it. Over time, nonetheless, the usefulness of even essentially the most excellent content material begins to say no. Others do the identical as you and publish even higher content material. Newer trade tendencies emerge. So, your as soon as “new and improved” content material will ultimately change into stale.

The one technique to defeat this curse and be sure that your content material stays evergreen is to maintain updating it. It’s arduous work, but it surely continues to repay since you proceed to create worth and, consequently, rank effectively.

Love ’em or hate ’em, generative AI instruments are extraordinarily useful. Use AI-powered instruments like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to generate contemporary content material concepts, analyze gaps in current content material, and optimize for key phrases.

AI goes past key phrase density and search quantity, providing distinctive insights akin to tone evaluation, content material construction enhancements, and even suggestions for audience-specific changes so long as you immediate them effectively.

For instance, I used ChatGPT to investigate this text, revealing content material gaps that conventional Search engine marketing instruments missed.

Interactive content material

Engagement is all the things. To extend web page and person interplay time, incorporate interactive components like quizzes, calculators, or free instruments into your content material that customers would possibly discover beneficial.

This could additionally make your content material extra shareable, enhancing your link-building potential. Actually, free instruments are discovered to be driving extra visitors to web sites. 

Knowledge-driven content material

With latest algorithm updates and the rise of generative AI instruments, one factor is obvious: Google prioritizes Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) greater than ever. On this state of affairs, unique analysis and unique knowledge are key to standing out.

By conducting surveys, utilizing trade knowledge, or creating proprietary stories, you may provide insights that others can’t replicate. Knowledge-driven content material boosts your authority and makes your content material extra beneficial, credible, and shareable.

The end result? Higher possibilities of attracting high-quality backlinks and bettering your rankings. Content material backed by stable knowledge isn’t simply most well-liked—it’s important for Search engine marketing success.

Multimedia integration

Enhance engagement by including high-quality multimedia components like movies, podcasts, or explainer animations. These enhance the person expertise and assist your content material rank higher in search outcomes. In case you are not including multimedia to your content material, contemplate creating one when distributing it on social media channels. 

Skyrocket your visitors 

The potential of the Skyscraper Approach is obvious. By reworking current high-performing content material with contemporary insights and selling it successfully, you may considerably enhance natural visitors, entice high quality backlinks, and strengthen your model’s authority.

Nonetheless, reaching success with this technique calls for each creativity and persistence. So, constantly ship smarter, extra beneficial content material than your opponents. You’ll create a robust basis for long-term development and sustained visibility.

Wish to enhance extra? Examine confirmed on-page Search engine marketing methods from an Search engine marketing knowledgeable.  

This text was initially printed in 2020 and has been up to date with new info.